Summary The Cessna 185 aircraft, serial number 18503651, was purchased in Spokane, Washington, USA, on 27September 2000 and test flown by the pilot that day. The vendor certified that all of the required maintenance was accomplished before selling the aeroplane. The next day the pilot departed Deer Park (north of Spokane), on a ferry flight to Alaska. At about 1200 Pacific daylight time, the aeroplane landed in Smithers, British Columbia, after a flight from Williams Lake. The pilot had the aeroplane refuelled, received a weather briefing, and filed a flight plan. The flight-planned route was from Smithers direct to Dease Lake, then direct to Whitehorse, Yukon. At 1217, the pilot and two passengers departed Smithers. At 1317, the Cospas-Sarsat system,(1) received an emergency locator transmitter signal from an area about 80 nautical miles northwest of Smithers. Search-and-rescue aircraft were dispatched; however, weather conditions hampered the search. The wreckage of the Cessna 185 was found at 1310 the next day at 5100 feet above sea level on a snow-covered, treeless hillside, at latitude 5608' north and longitude 12816' west. No fire had occurred. The three occupants were fatally injured. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Other Factual Information The weather in Smithers at 1200 Pacific daylight time (PDT)(2) was as follows: few clouds at 4000 feet above sea level (asl), broken clouds at 6000 feet, overcast at 9000 feet, and visibility 25 miles in light rain showers. The forecast weather for the route north of Smithers was for cloud layers at 4000 and 6000 feet and visibility reduced to 4 miles in light snow showers. The hill tops on the direct route from Smithers to Dease Lake reached about 7000feet asl. The wreckage was found on a snow-covered, treeless hillside. The wreckage trail was from east to west, generally following the valley. The angle of impact with the hill was not extreme, but impact forces were high, and the front of the aeroplane was broken off. The seats and two of the occupants were thrown out of the aeroplane. These two occupants were about 20 and 50 metres, respectively, ahead of the main wreckage. The third occupant remained in the wreckage. The instrument panel was broken away, and the engine revolutions per minute (rpm) indicator face was smashed on impact. The engine rpm pointer was pasted at the 2400 rpm position, a normal cruise power setting. The engine was not found. The aeroplane was equipped with a global positioning satellite receiver. Radar tapes indicate that the aeroplane was flying directly on course on the flight leg between Williams Lake and Smithers, as it would be if the pilot were navigating using the global positioning system. There was no radar coverage for the route from Smithers to Dease Lake. The pilot held a private pilot licence for visual flight rules only. At the time of his last flight medical examination, on 5February 1998, he had accumulated about 400 hours and was in good health. An autopsy revealed no medical anomalies or toxins that would have affected his performance.